With more than a century of history, we tell you about the most luxurious hotel in Buenos Aires that today is abandoned but hides luxuries of the past, illustrious visitors and even a tragic death linked to Coco Chanel.
The abandoned hotel in Buenos Aires where the author of The Little Prince lived hides a tragic death.
Located on Avenida de Mayo 1300, on the corner of Santiago del Estero, the Hotel Majestic was for decades a symbol of elegance and sophistication in Buenos Aires. This hotel combined European luxury with the eclectic architecture that made it the center of Buenos Aires high society of the time. Stained glass, marble and imperial staircases: the Majestic was one of the first buildings in Buenos Aires to have cage elevators, hot water in all rooms and a roof garden. It was probably the first rooftop bar in the city.
The Hotel Majestic was inaugurated in 1909 by architect Mario Palanti, the same architect of the Palacio Barolo, also a few blocks away on Avenida de Mayo. During its most glorious years, it hosted European aristocrats, millionaire businessmen and artists. So much so that this now abandoned hotel holds not only architectural beauty but also secrets and mysteries.
Secrets and Mysteries of the Hotel Majestic
One of the most famous visitors to the Hotel Majestic was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French aviator and writer, author of The Little Prince. He arrived in Buenos Aires in 1929 to manage the local branch of Aeropostale, and during his stay he stayed at the hotel. It was there that he began to write passages for what would later become Vuelo Nocturno (Vol de nuit), inspired by his air travels through South America. Later, he moved to an apartment in the Güemes Gallery, which you can actually visit.
But not everything in this majestic and abandoned hotel was glamour and literature. According to some accounts, it was in this same hotel that Coco Chanel’s sister died of an overdose.
The Hotel Majestic closed as a hotel at the end of the 1920s. In 1931 it was acquired by the State and used as public offices, passing through different departments until it became the AFIP. Although its structure was modified, it still preserves original details such as boiseries, stained glass, marble and bronze fittings.
In 2014, restoration work began on the façade and, as of 2020, the building was assigned to the National Parks Administration, which plans to turn it into its headquarters. The plan includes a conservation museum, a library open to the public and a glazed lookout on the tower, thus recovering part of its majesty. Hopefully at some point it will be possible to visit it.